Rumors of 19 year old females going on missions

[smokymountainrain]

Maybe abruptly and completely cutting off contact with everyone and everything you love, in a foreign country (or at least place), with a companion you may or may not have anything in common with but have to spend 24/7 with nonetheless, to knock on doors and tell people with much more life experience than you how to better live theirs, 12 hours a day 6.5 days a week, is not particularly conducive to good mental health.

or maybe it is.

I don't give two shits if my kids serve missions (I simply don't want my daughters to serve), but from a mental health/confidence/growth perspective it was good for me and many people I know.

[Donuthole]

Maybe abruptly and completely cutting off contact with everyone and everything you love, in a foreign country (or at least place), with a companion you may or may not have anything in common with but have to spend 24/7 with nonetheless, to knock on doors and tell people with much more life experience than you how to better live theirs, 12 hours a day 6.5 days a week, is not particularly conducive to good mental health.

Clearly you never recovered.

[ERCougar]

Maybe abruptly and completely cutting off contact with everyone and everything you love, in a foreign country (or at least place), with a companion you may or may not have anything in common with but have to spend 24/7 with nonetheless, to knock on doors and tell people with much more life experience than you how to better live theirs, 12 hours a day 6.5 days a week, is not particularly conducive to good mental health.

[Moliere]

That's just my theory. I think there are others issues too that need to be addressed. We have had a succession of 18 year-olds in our ward and half of them have seemed remarkably immature. Some of these kids should wait until they are 19.

The problem with waiting is people assume you aren't worthy. Not just your ward and your family, but I assume it can be lonely to be a 18 year old freshman at a place like BYU.

We have 3 kids with calls and I think all 3 are ready. We have 4 kids out and all were ready when they left. We have one 18 year old that hasn't submitted his papers yet and he doesn't like coming back into town (from college) and going to our ward because of the incessant queries about his mission papers.

[Uncle Ted]

I think this has been going on for a while, even prior to the 18 year-old policy. Our area authority told us 3-4 years ago that there had been a steady upward trend in missionaries coming home for emotional/mood disorder reasons, like anxiety and depression. I wonder if this is really new, or if we are just better at diagnosing such problems. In the old days, missionaries were expected to tought it out. Now maybe the MPs see that missionaries with such issues are so high-maintenance, and so unhappy, that they should just go home. One of my nieces was in that category,

That's just my theory. I think there are others issues too that need to be addressed. We have had a succession of 18 year-olds in our ward and half of them have seemed remarkably immature. Some of these kids should wait until they are 19.

My observation is pretty much the same. It seems there are a lot of immature missionaries lately. Our ward has two sets of missionaries: one set of elders and one set of sisters. The only mature one out of the bunch it seems right now is one of the sisters that is from Mexico.

The last time the sisters were over they told us about some other sisters in the mission that went home for "medical reasons" (i.e. anxiety, depression, etc.). Of course, summer in Texas can cause that sort of thing.

[LA Ute]

Rumors of missionaries coming home early...


http://timesandseasons.org/index.php...ave-a-problem/

I think this has been going on for a while, even prior to the 18 year-old policy. Our area authority told us 3-4 years ago that there had been a steady upward trend in missionaries coming home for emotional/mood disorder reasons, like anxiety and depression. I wonder if this is really new, or if we are just better at diagnosing such problems. In the old days, missionaries were expected to tought it out. Now maybe the MPs see that missionaries with such issues are so high-maintenance, and so unhappy, that they should just go home. One of my nieces was in that category,

That's just my theory. I think there are others issues too that need to be addressed. We have had a succession of 18 year-olds in our ward and half of them have seemed remarkably immature. Some of these kids should wait until they are 19.

[OceanBlue]

This conversation about missionaries coming home early is much needed. The sisters we are getting are not ready for their missions. I say sisters because we have not seen male missionaries in over two or three years. The sisters are rigid and quite simply don't know how to talk to people. Everything is by the book. Many were promised some personal issue would go away if they served a mission. Our ward is now having to care for these kids in way I have not seen in the past. One of our ward's own girls left for a foreign mission and was back within two weeks and is no longer active. The family is devastated. My own son is 18 and I don't bother him about a mission. It's his choice. I think after a year at BYU he will be able to judge. He isn't ready today. The Church and parents need to take a hard look at the missionary program.

[Jacob]

There were some pretty hot sisters in the MTC while I was there, but I still think this is a good policy.

Hmm, the goggles didn't kick in for me until I had been out for many months

[hostile]

Rumors of missionaries coming home early...


http://timesandseasons.org/index.php...ave-a-problem/

Not sure what the numbers are church wide.

In our ward we have had 4 missionaries leave since the age change was announced. Three males have been out nearly one year. One sister didn't make it past 1 week in the MTC.

[Uncle Ted]

Rumors of missionaries coming home early...

Salt Lake City, We Have a Problem

It has always been the case that some missionaries “come home early,” as the gentle phrasing goes. It turns out that more missionaries are coming home early than ever before. The percentage is now into the double-digits, and it turns out the folks in Salt Lake City are already well aware that we have a problem. This is based on information quietly passed down the priesthood chain, coupled with an urgent request to extend support and guidance to our young men and women as they prepare for and depart on LDS missions. So the leadership recognizes there is a problem and, surprisingly, the young returning missionaries are not being blamed. But acknowledging a problem is only the first step. What is going on and what can be done to improve things? How can we fix the problem?
[...]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4746[/ATTACH]
When three of these guys came home early, everyone celebrated.

http://timesandseasons.org/index.php...ave-a-problem/

[BrutusBuckeye]

We all know bad dudes who somehow made it through the 2 years.

Like this guy?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Derek_Brown

[CardiacCoug]

Right PW one of the ridiculous unintended consequences of emphasizing marrying an RM is that it conveys the message that other compatibility issues aren't that important. We all know bad dudes who somehow made it through the 2 years.

Also it's an attitude that conveys a total lack of empathy for the kids that can't or don't serve missions and their families. Missions can obviously be great for kids but I also have a ton of respect for LDS young men who have the gumption and self-confidence to tell their (pushy, overbearing?) families that they don't want to serve.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Totally agree. My wife once had a conversation with the hard-line YW president when she "went off" on advising YW to only marry a RM.

YWP: (to the YW) ... and that's why you should only consider marrying a RM.
wife: (to the YW) There are many factors to consider when choosing a future husband. Being a RM is one of them but consider that not all RMs will be faithful and there are many YM who will make good husbands and fathers but may not have chosen to serve a mission.
YWP: If someone is not dedicated enough to the Lord and his church to serve a mission, I doubt he will be dedicated to his wife and family.
wife: What if male RMs took that same view towards YW? Just because a YW decides not to serve a mission doesn't mean she isn't dedicated to the church or will not make a good wife and mother.
YWP: You may have beaten the odds by marrying someone who didn't serve but that doesn't mean our YW will do the same.
wife: (with look of confusion). My husband served a mission.
YWP: Well, I think all YM need to follow the prophet and serve a mission. YW are wise to only consider marrying a RM.
wife: President Monson didn't serve a full-time mission as a YM.

That's when the YW were dismissed. YWP president mentioned she was going to take the matter up with the Bishop. Wife advised her to tread carefully since the Bishop didn't serve a full-time mission either having entered the Marine Corps after graduating HS.

It's interesting to have the tables turned somewhat on the whole RM status thing.

Awesome. That would have been fun to watch.

[MarkGrace]

They were headed to Temple Square.

I recall that some were headed to historical sites, but one was going to Central America. At the time I wondered how that was going to work out, since she didn't look like the Central America type.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

Young Women who choose not to serve want you to know that they're not bad people! (All young men should go, however, because it is a priesthood duty).

http://averagedayofaginger.blogspot.....html?spref=fb

That girl is wise beyond her years...

5 Things I Hope My Children Know About The Temple
I haven't gone through the temple yet, and I'm sure when I do my understanding of the temple will change. But there already a few things I know that I want to teach my children about the temple!

1. We are a temple attending people. I want to go to the temple as often as I can.

Sure, technically, I could already be attending the temple as often as I can...but as Triplet reminded everyone, "We're busy!"